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Thera 1.96: Khandasumana
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(96):Khandasumana Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter I. Single Verses =96. Khaṇḍasumana= Reborn in this Buddha-age at Pāvā in the family of a Malla (king)rāja'',1 he was named Khaṇḍasumana (Jasmine), because on his birthday the jasmine was in bloom.2 He heard the Exalted One(Buddha) while the latter was staying in Cunda's mango grove at Pāvā,3 entered the Monk’s order, and acquired sixfold ''abhiññā(higher knowledge). Upon that he remembered his own former births: how he had offered a plant of jasmine at the tope of Kassapa Buddha when all the plucked flowers went to form the king's own offering; and, discerning how this act had guided him to Nibbāna now, he said this verse: ---- 96 Ekapupphaɱ cajitvāna asītiɱ vassa koṭiyo,|| Saggesu paracāretvā sesakenamhi nibbuto' ti.|| || ---- 96 One flower in pious offering brought Did win me years on years of pleasant life In heavenly worlds; the balance has availed To bring me perfect peace and purity.4 ---- 1 See p. 10, n. 8. 2 Sumāna is jasmine; Khanda is boken, fragmentay. The jasmine is called khaṇḍa-sakkara, broken-sugar. 3 See Dialogues, ii. 137. Pronounced Chunda. 4 Lit., 'by the remainder am I nibbuto' — i.e., 'I have parinibbāna(extinguishment) of the kilesa’s(mental torments’),' entire going out of quieting away of the ten kinds of moral corruption or torment. See above, LXXII., n. ---- =1.10-696 Commentary on the stanza of Khanḍasumanatthera= The stanza starting with Ekapupphaṃ cajitvāna constitutes that of the venerable Thera Khanḍa Sumana. What is the origin? It is said that he was reborn in a family home at the time of the Blessed One Padumuttara. On having attained the age of intelligence, when the Master entered parinibbāna, he surrounded His shrine with sandalwood railing from all sides and thus made his great reverential offering to Him. On account of that act of merit, he enjoyed enormous bliss among divine and human beings, and was reborn in the family of an estate-owner at the time of the Blessed One Kassapa: when the Master had entered parinibbāna, there was built a gold solid shrine (kauaka thūpa) in dedication to which, as and when reverential offering of flowers was being made, and flowers were not available, he happened to have caught sight of a broken (khanḍa) jasmine flower, which he bought at a high price, took hold of it, offered it reverentially to the shrine. As a result of it he roused up in himself immense zest and delight. On account of that act of merit, he was reborn in the divine world, enjoyed heavenly bliss for eithty crores of years and was reborn in the family of Malla king in Pāvā. At the time of his birth there came to spring up jasmine flowers and pieces of (granulated) sugar in his house. On that account, they gave him the name Khanḍasumana. On having attained the age of intelligence, he approached the Blessed One when He was residing at the mango grove in Pāvā, listened to the truty (dhamma), aptly gainde pious faith, became a monk, and doing the deed of developing spiritual insight, became an Arahant with six sorts of higher-knowledge (abhiññā), but before long. Hence, has it been said in the Apadāna:– “The Conqueror, named Padumuttara, the eldest in the world, the bull among men, the self awakened Buddha entered parinibbāna after having shone abright similar to a mass of fire. When the great Hero had entered nibbāna, there was a solid shrine (thūpa), widely famed (vitthāriko). Even from afar people had it attended upon in the most excellent relic-residence (dhātugeha). Pious-minded and good-hearted, I made a railing of sandal-wood; the mass of solid shrine as well as (the railing) commensurate with the shrine were seen then. In the existence, I was being reborn, whether as a divine-being or as a human- being, I never saw my inferiority (omatta) this is the fruitful result of my former deed. Fifteen hundred aeons (kappa) ago, from now, there arose eight people (janā); all of them were named Samatta, who were very strong world-kings. My depravity had been burnt; … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out. Having, however, attained Arahantship, he kept remembering his own former birth, where he happened to have seen his own all-round sacrificial offering of the jasmine flower forming the condition of characteristic sign (nimitta) of heavenly prosperity and the state of sufficing qualification for the attainment of nibbāna and spoke a stanza, by way of making his joyous utterance, rendering that matter clear. 96. ”Having made sacrificial offering of a flower, I bemused myself (paricareti) in the heavens (sagga) for eithty crores of years; with what remained (sesakena) I became bound for nibbāna (nibbuto). There, ekapupphaṃ means a flower (kusuma); that flower, however, here, signifies jasmine flower. Cajitvāna means: having made all-round sacrifice by way of performing reverntial offering to the solid shrine (thūpa), which constitues the cause of solid sacrifice (pasicāga). Asītivassakoṭuyo means: by human calculation, for eithty crores of years; this words in the accusative case (upayoga) is in absolute (accanta) construction (saṃyoga). This also has been said by way of rebirth (uppatti) again and again (aparāpara) secondly (dutiye) in the six sensual spheres of heaven (sagga); thus, it should be understood. Therefore, saggesu means:– in the heavenly world reckoned as Tāvatiṃsa (the divine abode of the thirty three); indeed, here, the word is in the plural (bahuvacana) by way of being reborn again and again. Paricāretvā means: having made the six senses (indriya) attend to (paricāreti) such sense objects (ārammana) as (beautiful) forms (rūpa), etc.; in other words, having made himself attended upon (paricareti) and served (upaṭṭhāpeti) by divine dancing damsels. Sesakena’mhi nibbuto means; He said in connection with that, which had become the sufficing qualification (upanissaya) for escape from the circle or repeated rebirths thereby what had remained from the donor’s deed (dāyakakamma) which has given prosperity in existences, out of resulting right volitions (pavatta kusalacetanā) in the form of (vasena) making reverential offering of flowers. Much, indeed, was there the resulting (pavatta) volition (cetanā) by way of before (pubba) and after (para). In other words, sesakena means: because of the residual (avasesa) ‘retrubution’ (vipāka) of that self-same deed (kamma), even before it became all-round exhausted (parikkhāna) I had attained nibbāna (nibbuto) in the fruition (vipāka) of that deed; I became all round cool (parinibbuto) by the fires of depravity (kilesa) having become all-round extinguished (parinibbāna). By this he showed thus:–”That later (carima) self-entity (attabhāva) also, in which I had stood and visualised Arahantship by myself is the fruition (vipāka) of that deed (kamma). In connection with (a case) like this, elsewhere (aññattha) also, it has been said : “Tass’eva kammassa vipākavasesena owing to the residual ‘retribution’ of that self-same action. The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Khanḍasumana is complete. ----